Twilight Zone (VI.)

A lot has happened in the last ten days or so. Let me tell you about it, to forewarn you about seemingly trivial things. That is, if you have patience to read.

The story begins with a couple we knew which arrived as guests but lied about being Covid infected - so my wife and me caught our (un)fair share of Omicron. That sleazy pair is gone and will never set foot near our gate again, let alone come closer to the house!

Emma had high temperatures, around 38.9 C and severe muscular and joint pain for several days. My variation went for the inflammation of the lungs; with no temperature or any other symptom at all, except for the high values of sedimentation, CRP and d-dimeria. I was put on six days of intensive infusion treatment to get rid of the Covid leftover consequences.

On the morning before the last treatment, my blood analysis finally got okay, but... Well, there's always some "but", isn't it?

In the same afternoon a hornet stung me in the shoulder, right where the collarbone meets the joint. First ten minutes, it was just itching there, and then it begun in earnest.

I tottered to the bathroom and threw up. There was a painful cramp in the aorta region. Severe urticaria appeared; I looked like a large QR (matrix barcode). My eyesight suddenly went bad. I saw lots of "noise" and, like on an ancient TV, the vertical stabilization was shot. I needed to go to the hospital, and fast.

As Murphy's laws would arrange, there was a great big concrete pump and a cement mixer blocking our only road access, since the neighbors are re-building the house (see photo "Gone" here).

Then Emma called our friends, and their son came from the other side to pick me up, while we walked (well, Emma walked - I kinda hovered) to meet him behind the cement vehicles blockade.

The man (who is, by the way, a priest) broke nigh all traffic rules transporting me to the Emergency! There they gave me anti-histamine shots, did several EKG and pulse readings. On arrival, my pressure was 60-40 and my heart was racing at 98 bpm. Clearly an anaphylactic shock - an elevator that can speedily carry one to the Pearly Gate!

Another shot of Synopen made the difference. The chest cramp was lessening, and my eyesight returned to almost normal. I was even able to barf again, right into their paper basket...

Then they put me on infusion treatment again (because speed) but after a week of needles already my veins were not exactly grateful. So I was adorned with large purple medals inside both elbows.

I was eventually allowed to leave, scheduled for one more infusion treatment on the next day (Sat, July 16th). Upon coming home, my blood pressure slowly went to 125-92, and the heart rate was down to 87. During the night the pressure returned to 130-87 and the urticaria was completely gone.

On Saturday, already able to drive the car again, me and Emma went for my second infusion round. In the meantime Emma collected add-ons to our home medicine supplies.

My blood pressure stabilized at its regular 135-75 and the heart rate was back to 70. The emergency was over.

Now we have at home: 2 ampoules of Synopen shots, 1 tube Synopen cream, Loratadine tablets, B-complex vitamins... Next we'll also get an Antiviperin serum, just in case! In Macedonia they say, "once scalded, you will blow on yoghurt"!

That's it, folks! If that hornet sting was any closer to the jugular, I'd probably be gone. The way it went, I was extremely lucky. First and foremost my Emma, and then my friend did manage to save my worthless backside for another adventure!
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Only thing we still miss is a way to recognize sneaky people which would lie to us in order to be accomodated for three days. This was also a good school, and as we know, the best schools are those most expensive...

Sincerely yours,
LookSee Reloaded
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Oh, and the photo? It's just what could have been the last look I see and photograph... ;)
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